The Doyon Foundation board of directors met on January 21. During the meeting, Shane Derendoff was elected president, Julie Anderson was named secretary/treasurer, and Wesley Roberts Dalton was re-elected as the vice president. The Foundation thanks outgoing secretary/treasurer Lorraine B. David for her years of service in that position.

Announcing the 2012 Young Native Writers Essay Contest. Winners receive college scholarships and an opportunity to participate in a Scholars Week in Washington, D.C. Entry Deadline is April 30, 2012. For details, visit nativewriters.hklaw.com.

Sponsored by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation in conjunction with the National Museum of the American Indian.

Come one; Come all to Access Alaska’s exciting new initiative, Recharge Time! This exciting new program is different from other after school activities because it allows youth from all over the Fairbanks North Star Borough to come together for safe, structured entertainment. Recharge Time runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 pm- 5pm. Access Alaska can even provide limited transportation. Youth will be able to enjoy our two TVs, computers that allow internet access for help with homework and other projects, our Wii, stocked kitchen, and Foosball table. Tutoring and homework assistance can be provided to youth wanting extra help in school. In addition to all the resources at Access Alaska there will be one event each month for youth to come and simply relax and have fun! The program is managed by Kata Dungan, an AmeriCorps Member from North Carolina. Kata attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and served in the Peace Corps after graduation. She is very excited to build a successful and sustainable afterschool program at Access Alaska. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Kata Dungan at (907) 479-7940 or email at Kdungan@accessalaska.net.

The Gillam Foundation Scholarship Program provides a 1-year scholarship to graduating Alaskan high school seniors to be used in their first year of study at a 4-year college or university. First year is defined as no later than the fall of the year immediately following a student’s graduation from high school.

This scholarship was established by Spenard Builders Supply in 1985 for the purpose of promoting further education and/or training for Alaska’s youth. The “Skills For Alaska” scholarship is designed to assist graduating high school students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. The scholarship criteria follow the principles established by SkillsUSA. These skills include Education, Leadership, Teamwork and Citizenship.

One $2,000 to $4,000 scholarship will be awarded annually. Scholarship recipients will be announced by May 15th. Proof of college/school acceptance and enrollment must be submitted prior to award disbursement.

Doyon Foundation scholarship recipient Sarah Walker is a first-generation, low-income college student – but neither of those facts have kept her from pursuing her goals.

“I try not to look at things as challenges, just things that I have to work on or get done,” she shared.

Sarah is in her second year at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), where she is double majoring in Alaska Native studies and rural development with a Yup’ik minor.

It’s a place she’s worked very hard to get to. After she got her acceptance letters and chose UAF, Sarah spent the entire summer mowing lawns, gardening and tree trimming, washing cars and picking up trash to make money. In the fall, a friend lent her money to pay for unexpected school fees and Sarah got a job, working at night after long days at school to pay the friend back and to help out with her family’s expenses.

Sarah worked as an intern in Doyon, Limited’s communications department in summer 2011 and is currently working for the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development as the student coordinator for the Festival of Native Arts. She was recently recognized with the fall 2011 UAF Exceptional Student Employee Award.

In addition to her personal hard work, several organizations, including Doyon Foundation, have helped Sarah financially.

“The support I receive from Doyon Foundation is great! If it wasn’t for the Foundation, I don’t believe I would have been able to attend college. I greatly appreciate the financial support and the student dinners that are put on, too,” she said.

On top of a very busy school and work schedule, Sarah manages to find time to serve as president of two student organizations, Native Alaskan Business Leaders and Festival of Native Arts, as well as participate in numerous cultural and academic student groups.

Learning about and celebrating her Alaska Native culture is very important to Sarah, who is Yup’ik and Inupiaq. It’s one of the reasons she chose to move from her home state of Washington to attend UAF.

“I returned because I love Alaska and how rich all the Native cultures are up here,” she said.

After graduating, which she expects to do in summer 2014, Sarah hopes to attend graduate school and law school, where her main concentration will be on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

“Never stop learning and never let anything get you down; we’ll all reach our goals someday,” advises this hard-working, inspirational student, who is the daughter of Terry and Doretha Walker, granddaughter of Franklin and Lena (Crane) Amouak, and great-granddaughter of Oliver and Olga (Waska-Mike) Amouak.

Jobs at Doyon Limited

Whether you are just starting your career or an experienced career veteran, Doyon is looking for individuals that thrive on challenge and are motivated by the ever-changing environments in our industries.

Click on the Job Sites page at top of page to click through to the job pages at all 13 ANCSA Native Corporations as well as other job resources.

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